Bill Proposal: Constitutional Carry in Maine

There is an important bill in the 127th Legislature that is really picking up momentum. The higher profile a bill is, the easier it is to misunderstand, due to the amount of “chatter” around it. I would like to take a moment to explain Senator Eric Brakey’s Constitutional Carry bill, LR 280, and help clear up some misconceptions.

First and foremost, this bill would not permit anyone who is prohibited to own or carry a gun today, to do so. This is a simple fact that keeps getting lost in the messaging. As the law stands today, anyone who can legally purchase and own a handgun can place it on their person and carry it. There are 2 methods of carrying a handgun, open carry and concealed carry. To reiterate, anyone who can legally purchase and own a handgun today, can already carry it. The fly in the ointment is, it must remain exposed. The second way to carry is concealed. To conceal a handgun today, requires a permit issued by the issuing authority in the municipality of the applicant’s residence. It is an ineffective and expensive permitting system for several reasons, and since it has nothing to do with purchasing, owning or carrying the handgun, it is considered by many to be unnecessary.<<<Read the Rest>>>